


Guess We're All Losing Our Minds Now?

by WhyAreYouLaughing



Series: Drabbles From Arcadia Bay [5]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Aftermath, Cause it’s the ones who don’t deserve to die that do, Character Study, Ensemble Cast, Grief/Mourning, Non-Canonical Character Death, Sacrifice Maxine "Max" Caulfield, Snapshots, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:57:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15323130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhyAreYouLaughing/pseuds/WhyAreYouLaughing
Summary: Snapshots of what happens after Max sacrifices herself to save Chloe.Or a bunch of people who have no idea that they've been saved from one hell just to be thrust into another.





	Guess We're All Losing Our Minds Now?

_Yeah we should've known it would end this way. What did you expect, pretend it all away, and all we've got left is a sorry pile of hearts._

_-Get Well by Icon for Hire._

\------------

Nathan Prescott watches as Maxine Caulfield dies.

There's blood staining the floor.

His shoes now too.

Chloe Price stares at him from her spot beside the body.

He didn't know that they knew each other.

_Knew._

They _knew_ each other.

Max _was_ in Victoria's class.

She _had been_ alive.

He's still reflecting over past nouns when the door behind him slams open.

Nathan didn't really care when he is tackled to the ground.

He was too numb for that.

\-----------------

Blackwell Academy holds an assembly in Max's honor.

They all act like she was the beloved of the school.

Just like they all act like Nathan wasn't admired by everyone.

All lies.

There's a nice speech that was spoken by Raymond Wells.

He apologizes for the actions that a former staff member and a former student had performed.

The bastard most likely recognized her, he's probably thinking about what the fuck she's doing here.

He continues.

The names of the victimized girls wasn't released. Didn't matter.

Somebody leaked it anyways.

Chloe looked around her, she wondered how many of these kids were actually Max's friend.

Probably one or two.

That was all Max ever needed.

\----------------

Victoria's first thought after that assembly was: what a bunch of hypocrites.

Then she thought: look at yourself, hypocrite.

It was true though, nobody cares unless you're pretty or dying.

Bonus points if it's both.

A knock at the door startles Victoria out of her head.

She ponders whether or not she should open it. She does.

It's Taylor.

Whatever her friend says is filled with enough pauses and stuttering to make it completely unintelligible.

Instead of bothering to respond, Victoria raises a hand.

Taylor goes silent.

The rest of their night together is just as quiet, but that's alright.

It's just how this friendship is.

\----------------

Victoria gets a phone call from Courtney at one in the morning.

She tries not to wake Taylor up.

That plan isn't very effective, as Taylor is awoken within ten minutes.

The three of them talk on face chat for hours.

Makeshift therapy.

It's honestly sad and pathetic.

But it works.

\-----------------

Three skips.

Two.

Four.

Back to three.

And now he's out of rocks.

Warren used to be able to get up to seven.

Max's record was barely two.

He looks at the ripples in the water that the pebbles had caused.

Cute.

Just like the Ripple Effect.

\------------

Frank seemed eerily unconcerned when Chloe pointed a gun to his head.

He raises an eyebrow.

Not because she wouldn't shoot.

He knows that she would.

But because what is a stoner without a drug dealer?

Blue eyes narrow at what he then says.

"Did Rachel ever tell you about us?"

The junkyard has never resembled a ghost town so much.

\-------------

Ryan Caulfield didn't know any of the people who attended his daughter's funeral.

Well, that was only a slight lie.

There was Chloe Price.

But...

She had changed.

Besides that, there were quite a few other students from Blackwell.

He wasn't that happy about that though.

It was all out of obligation.

It's starting to rain.

That's the main question: who would still be here if it was raining before the funeral had started?

\---------------

Victoria flinched as the weather got worse.

Courtney and Taylor asked if she wanted them to tag along.

She denied.

Max probably wasn't too impressed by her appearance; wherever she was.

No point in bringing the whole crew.

\------------------

Kate was holding back tears.

She wasn't sure if Max and herself would have been considered friends.

But they could have been, if given proper time.

The clock ran out.

It's too late.

However maybe there remains a chance, to save all their souls.

The video is down.

That was Victoria.

It's too late to save Max.

Yet, not too late for redemption for everyone else.

Thanks, Max.

\------------

Chloe stared at the casket that was being lowered into the ground.

Another person that left her.

Permanently this time.

Why come back now?

At least you were my friend when it mattered.

At the very end.

Better to have a true friend for a moment rather than a liar for years.

Looking at you, Rachel.

Looking at you.

\--------

Photography class isn't the same.

There's the obvious things, like the fact that the teaching position is constantly being handed back and forth.

Small things too.

Victoria doesn't talk as proudly anymore.

Everyone walks on eggshells around Kate; she hates it.

Then there's the absence of Maxine Caulfield.

\--------------

Sometimes the flash of a camera in his eyes will make Warren grin.

He'll look around for Max.

Then stop.

Because he remembers.

The picture is almost always taken by the sharks called reporters.

He remembers hearing that Chloe Price punched one in the face after he asked too many sensitive questions.

Warren would believe it.

She always did seem too on edge.

Makes sense that this would push her over.

\------

The Vortex Club is over.

Perhaps Dana shouldn't be so relieved at that.

Especially because of the price.

Yet she is.

Juliet once asked her what she would do to get out of this drama that seems to just be getting more dangerous.

She had shrugged in the moment.

Even now, she wouldn't have killed someone for it.

But she's content with the results.

What does that say about her?

Max Caulfield was only a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She didn't deserve to die.

However there's nothing that anybody can do to change it.

Why torment yourself with what-ifs?

(Dana wonders if they're all monsters.)

\--------------

Nathan's glaze is hopeless.

He has two choices.

Take an impossible chance.

Or...

Tell them everything.

He takes the plea deal.

No more secrets.

\----------------

Chloe is awakened by a phone call.

The caller ID says James Amber.

She almost doesn't answer it.

Almost.

"Chloe, I regret to have to tell you this, but I have no doubt that everybody will know soon, and you don't deserve to learn about it that way."

She sighs.

"What is it, James."

Hesitation.

"They found Rachel's body."

\------------------

Hayden is smoking a joint when he finds out.

Logan comes up to him, eyes wide, which was a rare look for him.

"Dude, did you hear the news?"

The expression on his face must tell it all, as Logan continues.

"They found Rachel Amber's corpse in the local junkyard."

Hayden sits down on the nearest bench.

Takes another puff of his joint.

And tries to remember what he can of his former classmate.

\-----------

Juliet is halfway into writing a new story about the recently revealed horrors of Blackwell.

Then she stops.

What is she doing?

She's emotionlessly scribbling down notes about the murders of her classmates.

She knew them.

Juliet pauses.

And deletes everything that she wrote.

They've suffered enough.

Let them rest in peace.

\--------------

Nathan sometimes sees her face as she falls asleep.

Blue eyes with a knowing look in them.

She was aware of something they weren't.

And she took that knowledge to the grave with her.

\----------

Kate finds Victoria sitting right outside her door.

She was also drunk.

Probably high too.

And it was three a.m.

There's a serious moment were she considers slamming the door in Victoria's face.

But that wouldn't be like her.

Plus Victoria looked like a kid when she was on the ground in that position.

Her legs were criss-crossed and she was glazing up at Kate, like she was in grade school and getting ready to be scolded.

With a grunt, Kate helped Victoria into her room.

The (former) Queen of Blackwell passed out right away.

Leaving Kate with no bed.

Great.

\--------------

Dana's eyes shift to the clock on her nightstand.

Still 4:45 A.M.

This was going to be a long night.

Or morning.

Whatever.

She just wants to sleep.

God.

Then again, she probably shouldn't complain.

Dana's sure that Max or Rachel would trade insomnia to be alive again.

These thoughts are why she can't sleep.

\------------

The lighthouse is still functioning.

Chloe and Max used to make bets about when it would stop working.

It remains.

Outlasted one of them.

Maybe it'll outlast both.

Maybe.

Probably.

Chloe's phone rings.

It's her mother.

She didn't check in.

Didn't come home.

Chloe wonders who else comes out here.

If anyone will see her.

If anyone will find her.

The gun is cold under her neck.

\-----------------

Joyce thinks she's losing her daughter.

She's right.

Not that she wants to be.

But she can't lose another part of her family.

Not after William.

The phone hits voicemail again.

"Fuck off."

She knows the voice well.

It's not the same as the real thing though.

\------------

Click.

Chloe expects it to be over.

She wants it to be over.

Then she can be done with it all.

But she's not.

She's still here.

The gun was unloaded.

The gun was fucking unloaded.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

She forgot to reload it after messing around in the junkyard yesterday.

That saved her life.

Fuck.

Why doesn't that kind of luck kick in for someone who actually fucking wants it.

Like Rachel.

Or Max.

They're both dead.

And she's alive.

Tears roll down.

For the first time since her dad died, Chloe sobs like the little girl that she never got the chance to be.

\---------------


End file.
